The completion of insurance forms such as applications may be time-consuming for agents, requiring that numerous items of information be requested from applicants. Because of this, it has been found that incorrect data is sometimes entered for certain fields to avoid having to search for information about a potential client. For example, in many applications for insurance, it has been observed that the telephone number entered for an entity is the telephone number for the insurance agency preparing the application for the entity, rather than the actual telephone number for the entity. This typically occurs because the agency's telephone number is one that the agent has memorized and can enter quickly, while the entity's telephone number is one for which the agent would have to search either his or her files or the internet.
One of the data items requested in insurance forms, which data item is used in quoting and other insurance processes for insurance provided to businesses and non-profit entities, is the industrial classification of the entity. The industrial classification of an entity is an important factor in determining insurance risk. There are many standardized industrial classification systems, such as Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), Global Industry Classification System (GICS), Industrial Classification Benchmark (ICB), Thomson Reuters Business Classifications (TRBC), Statistical Classification of Economic Activities (NACE), Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classifications (ANZSIC), and International Standard Industrial Classifications (ISIC). Many of these are multi-digit code systems, wherein each digit, reading from left to right, specifies an entity's sector more specifically. For example, in the four-digit ICB, the first digit indicates industry, the second digit plus the first digit specify a supersector, the first three digits indicates sector, and the full four digits specify a subsector. There are also numerous custom industrial classification systems used by entities, such as insurers.
Current methods for aligning entities with appropriate industries are error prone. In some cases, the operations of an entity are too varied to neatly fit into one or two industrial classifications, causing activities of the entity to be ignored when an insurance quote is being determined. In other cases, the industrial code assigned to an entity is too general for assigning an accurate risk factor. For large and established companies, a third-party data vendor may supply an industrial classification, or an industrial classification may be provided by an agent, but for new or small companies, third-party vendors may not have an industrial classification available. In these cases, the burden of classifying the industry falls onto the entity itself or the agent in completion of an insurance application form. The assigned industrial classification selected by the agent or entity may be incorrect or inadequate. Insurance companies produce hundreds of thousands of insurance quotes per year, so it is impossible for insurance companies to verify the accuracy of industrial classifications received from agents, insureds and third-party vendors for each entity they develop a quote for.
For these reasons, an industrial classification assigned to an entity may not accurately represent the entity's operation, leading to economic consequences for the insurance company. For example, a company that sells appliances may also employ an installation team to install the appliances. The activities involved in installation, from transporting the appliances to handling them in an unfamiliar setting, are much riskier than activities on a retail floor or in a warehouse. Furthermore, the entity may be liable for any accidents damaging the appliances or the installation site. While the entity may be truthfully classified as an appliance retailer, if the entity is paying an insurance premium that has been determined for an appliance retailer without taking into account the installation aspect of the business, the insurer of the appliance company runs the risk of the appliance company incurring greater losses than were expected or insured. In cases like this, the insurance company is typically still contractually bound to cover the losses under the policy.